Australia lower order grinds England again

Australia lower order grinds England again

England had boxed Australia into a corner in the first innings of the third Ashes Test in Perth on Friday, but not for the first time in the series the home side came out fighting and the tourists were unable to throw a knockout punch.

'It was a pretty tough part of the game'

The partnerships blunted England's bowling attack, which wilted in the extreme heat, and put Australia into a potentially dominant position.

In BrisbaneAustralia were 132 for six before posting 295 all out. In Adelaide they were 174 for four and 257 five before declaring on 509 for nine.

In Perth they slumped to 143 for five until Steve Smith (103 not out), wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (55) and paceman Mitchell Johnson (39 not out) helped Australia to the close on 326 for six.

"It was a pretty tough part of the game. They'd taken a few wickets and were pretty high so to dig through there and get through a few of their big bowlers spells and cash in late in the game, that was the plan," Smith said.

The Aussie number five added that his first Test century on home soil was up there with the best in his career and relieved a bit of pressure coming into this game.

Haddin's contribution should not be ignored. The keeper has not scored less than 50 in each of his four innings in the series and now averages 80 for the three matches.

Add the brute force of Johnson batting at number eight and it is not hard to see why England continue to have a mountain to climb.